


Toy Soldiers

by WyntersFall



Category: Shin Megami Tensei Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 15:12:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4184598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WyntersFall/pseuds/WyntersFall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What path should you walk? What actions should you take? When the fate of the world rests on your shoulders do you embrace the light or the howling dark? Does either really make a difference?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Toy Soldiers

_Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,_

_And sorry I could not travel both_

_And be one traveller, long I stood_

_And looked down one as far as I could._

_Robert Frost_

**Chapter One – Casualry**

 

_The streets were scorched with flame as Flynn awoke amongst the rubble, a voice calling his name from the distance. He could hear the sounds of screaming over yonder and there was this cacophony of noise which sent chills down his spine. A relentless outpouring of roars, moans and screeches that were beyond human and that was what made it all the more terrifying. Slowly he got to his feet, hands grabbing onto the concrete blocks around him as he hauled himself up and stumbled forward._

Is this hell? _He thought as he looked at a world on fire but not the world he knew._

_All around him were structures that stood over hundreds of feet tall, extending so far that he wondered if they may just touch the heavens. The fires on display danced around him, reflected in the material which the building had been adorned with. Those very same fires continued to burn through the metal that surrounded him which had been shaped in the form of an object that he had no idea just how to identify. Everything felt surreal, beyond even the realms of his vivid imagination as his eyes continued to scour the world around him, horrified and amazed in equal measure._

_Up ahead he spotted a white light, shaped in the figure of another human being and slowly, ever so slowly he began to walk towards it. It was at this point that the voice became clearer. “Over here.” It called to him as he began to move even quicker, determined to find out what was going on._

_The roars and screams began to dim as he moved closer, as if they were being removed from the world as he drew ever closer until finally all that existed was silence._

_“You’re here…” The light said, pausing for a second as it struggled to find the words. “I’ve been waiting, for you to help me make a world of our choosing.”_

_The light grew, blinding him for a second and as his eyes finally re-adjusted the light had formed into the shape of a man, his face obscured as if in shadow. “It has been far too long my friend; you do remember me of course?” The man asked as Flynn stared back silently, his mind swimming._

_“Aha! As silent as ever I see!” The man exclaimed with a laugh, strong and boisterous, two words which Flynn suspected defined almost the entirety of this man’s character. “They said you may not remember me and whilst I am disappointed their claims are true I do not blame you my friend, so from here and now you may know me as Walter.”_

They? _Flynn wondered as he thought over Walter’s words, something pressing at the back of his mind for a mere instant, like an itch that he couldn’t scratch before it abated just as quickly as it had appeared. “Walter.” He said his voice laced with a tone of recognition which he shouldn’t have had because he truly did not know the man who stood in front of him._

_“I’ve been fighting like crazy to get here, God knows I had to before you left and Jonathan of all people tried to sink his talons into you.”_

Jonathan? _He wondered as he listened to the man’s ramblings entirely unaware of what was happening._

_“Do not forget me. Do not forget this because you and I are destined to create a world in which man is not subservient to the whims of those who call themselves better because of their birth. We Flynn are going to create a world where man chooses his own path and doesn’t that sound amazing?” Walter asked him as everything began to fade in a blaze of light._

_The last thing he heard was from Walter who merely told him. “I’ll be waiting.” Before the world in front of him disappeared entirely, as he found himself floating in nothing but a vast, empty space._

_Sand. His opened his eyes and found himself in what appeared to be a desert, surrounded by buildings which had long been ruined by time and nature. The winds gusted gently, the sand blowing into his eyes as he held out his arm in an effort to alleviate the stinging pain that came from looking ahead. In the distance a bright light similar to the one he’d seen before awaited him, a figure standing in front of a stone, calling his name._

_“At last, thank the heavens.” It said as he came closer._

Who was that person Walter mentioned before?  _He thought to  himself as he walked over. “Jonathan?” He called out over the gap between them as he drew ever closer, coming face to face with another man his own age. His features just like before obscured I shadow apart from the tail of his blue coat which hung behind him as he stared back at Flynn._

_“They said you would come and so I waited, my days filled with prayer longing for your return my friend.”_

They? Who are They? And what do they want? _He wondered yet again as the man in front of him continued speaking._

_“Lord knows Walter has already tried to tempt you down the path of destruction but fear not because I am here. Because our vision is a most glorious vision, a world where the peace we know today will last forever. A world where those who revel in sin and the pain of their fellow man shall be removed, and nothing but God’s beauty will shine down, perfecting this earth.”_

_“Fear not Flynn!” Jonathan called out, grabbing his attention, refusing to let his mind wander. “We stand on the precipice of glory, won’t you join me? Won’t you help save this world from itself before it’s too late?”_

_And then the man began to fade an laughter filled the air, the scene changing as he found himself staring at a little girl, no more than eight or nine. The sound of laughter never ceased, yet over the din he heard her words as clear as day._

“Please Flynn, won’t you revive me?”

“Flynn!”

His eyes shot open, wincing for a second as they adjusted to the sunlight. He sat up with a groan and turned to seeing the familiar face of Issachar looming over him, the blonde haired boy looking at him with that grin he always wore. “I’ve been trying to get you up for ages.” He said as Flynn sat up, running his hands over his face in an effort to rouse himself for the coming day.

What had that dream been? Had it even been a dream? It felt so real. He could swear that he had felt the heat of the city that had been turned to flames, he could still feel himself fighting through the desert to make it to the man in his vision and most disconcerting of all, he could hear that girls plea as if it was still being spoken in his ear. 

“We’re going to need to leave soon for the Gauntlet Rite and the last thing I want to hear is that I didn’t wake you up early enough for us to get there.” Issachar said with a laugh as he looked over at his friend. “Are you ok?”

“Just a weird dream.” He muttered as he turned towards the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, gazing down upon it from the hill that they’d chosen to set up camp, right next to the Mikado Lake.

The Kingdom that bore the title as the world’s symbol of hope and strength stood imperiously in the distance. The city had been formed on a mountain, Mikado Castle standing at the top, the home of the royal family. From there the city was divided into five tiers, the Samurai and high ranking Luxurors living closest to the palace and then working its way down in class and influence until one reached the lowest ranked citizens, the Casualries who worked the land lived at the base of the mountain, farming the food for the Kingdom for the moment of their birth until their eventual death.

“Today’s the day my friend.” Issachar said as he looked out over the lake holding his arms out. “Today we leave the life of the Casualry behind. Today we become Samurai and free ourselves from the shackles, or go home in disappointment and despair.”

Flynn choked back a laugh at the finishing remark as Issachar looked back at him.

“We _will_ become Samurai.”

And just for that moment, Flynn almost believed they both would.

“Let’s do it.”

It took them a further fifteen minutes as they checked their meagre set of supplies before bidding the lake which had almost felt like a second home goodbye. They’d originally planned to stay in the city. Their parents had even managed to save money over the years to allow them a week of comfort in the Capital. But in times when money was beginning to run scarce and the hotels had been filled the two boys had discovered the Mikado Lake and had been mesmerised by the sheer beauty of the crystal blue waters and the landscape in front of them that was so beautiful no painting could compare.

Small luxuries were easy to come by of course, over the past few days he’d been in the marketplace and bought some gifts for his parents and siblings. He’d picked up some simple souvenirs and trinkets, those things which one didn’t find in the outer villages such as Kiccigiorgi where he and Issachar hailed from. The vendors in the Luxuror districts were ridiculously over-priced no matter how polite they seemed or how willing they were to show their wares.  It was in the Casualry district where aspiring artisans showed off their best works and for much more reasonable prices as well.

They passed through the city gates under the watchful eyes of the guards, under normal circumstances a pair of young travellers in their world would be viewed with suspicion. However the day of the Gauntlet Rite was no ordinary day and as they moved through the crowd they could spot many people their age that looked around in wonder at the city they’d just entered.

“I’ll be honest here Flynn, I have no idea where the Rite is held, should we find someone?” Issachar asked him as they continued into the city, weaving through the horde of people with ease.

“Well the Samurai are in the Luxuror District, so one would assume it’s there right? We’ll check there first and if we can’t find someone we’ll ask a guard.” Flynn reasoned and Issachar nodded in agreement.

They climbed the stairs to the next tier of the mountain, entering the domain of the Casualry families who had made significant wealth through their family trade.  The highest ones of their status could ever hope to ascend, made up of jewellers, carpenters and smiths. They thrived off catering to the whims and fancies of the higher classes and were more than subtle in the art of extortion as Flynn would have it known.

As they reached the Luxuror District they became the subject of whispers and curses from the walking nobles.

“Aah, the filth has ascended.” A man spat in their general direction.

“I hear the Casualries carry all kinds of diseases, you’d best stay away my dear.” A mother said to her daughter, hiding her behind her skirts and glaring at them scandalously.

_Coming up here probably wasn’t wise._ Flynn thought to himself as he looked over at Issachar whose fists were clenched and his frame shuddering as he tried to barely contain his anger. He put a hand on his friends shoulder and pulled him so that their eyes locked. “Keep your head.” He warned, trying to calm his friend down. “One wrong move and you’ll be locked away, or killed if we end up with a particularly vicious guard.”

Issachar nodded, shrugging his shoulder off as he tried to calm himself. “Once that gauntlet’s around my wrist then these bastards will answer to us, how they’ll squirm to know they are ruled by Casualry.” He hissed under his breath as they continued on through the City, Flynn ignoring the jibes and people in general whilst Issachar seethed quietly but didn’t respond to their jabs.

If there was one thing that Flynn was concerned about, it was undoubtedly Issachar’s desperation to be a Samurai. It bordered on obsession and no matter how many times he talked about helping the poor and needy, Flynn knew the real reason why he wanted to be a Samurai so desperately. It was because his friend, for as long as Flynn had known him had only ever craved power and prestige.

Issachar was a man who believed himself above his place in the world and believed the world would realise its mistake and give him what he craved.

Was such a person truly worthy of a gauntlet?

His musings were cut short as he noticed a throng of people headed towards the Plaza, where the statue of Aquila the First Samurai loomed over them.

“A gathering.” Issachar said his eyes lighting up and his fury abating. “It must be where the Rite takes place. Let’s go Flynn.”

He nodded and they made their way forward lining up with the group of people as others who had already been tested walked away. Some were wistful, some glad, others broken-hearted that their dreams had been cut short and while all this was happening thousands more waited for their turn.

The Gauntlet Rite. The day where every man or woman who had turned eighteen in the previous year were ordered by the King to enter the Kingdom of Mikado and be tested to see if they were worthy of the title of Samurai. Thousands lined up, as the line slowly, ever so slowly thinned as they pushed their way forward, the gauntlets refusing to accept any of them. The line had been split in two of course, the Luxurors kept away from the Casualries as two stepped forward every few minutes and headed towards the priests.

Soon enough one girl was taken away, a Luxuror of course. The people cheered as she followed one of the Samurai to her new life wearing a smile as she embraced her newfound destiny. Whilst the other Luxuror’s glared at them.

“The Casualries are never chosen.” One complained. “Why does the Kingdom even bother?”

That brought Flynn’s mind back to their village; it wasn’t so much a belief but basic fact. The last person to be accepted into the Samurai ranks from Kiccigiorgi was a man over twenty years ago, and his body had been sent back a year later. In fact it had been three years since the last Casualry was picked and Flynn had his own ideas as to why, but it was never something he had been able to prove. Regardless he and Issachar watched on as the line dwindled and dwindled until after what felt like an eternity they stood at the front.

“Next!” The guard ordered and Issachar turned to him.

“Well brother, this is where we make history.” He said as he pulled Flynn into a hug which Flynn returned. He began to walk off but at the last second he turned around. “No matter what happens Flynn, no regrets.”

He nodded as he watched his friend walk out into the middle of the plaza. Any and all trepidation removed as he began to pray to whatever God’s existed that his friend would be chosen. It might be wrong, he may have his concerns but when someone you knew wanted something so much they would give the world for it. Wasn’t it even worse to hope they fail?

Minutes passed. He stared ahead. He wasn’t even sure if he batted an eyelid the entire time he stood there. He barely even heard the guard yell “Next!” That was how focused he was  on the fate of his friend.

“Casualry! Move it!” The guard barked again grabbing his attention. “Get to the middle of the plaza, now.”

Flynn nodded as he took his first steps forward, the sun beating down on his back as he walked towards his future without a shred of fear.

Each step felt like an eternity, the only sound he could hear was his feet hitting the stone underneath him as the statue of Aquila loomed over him. Carved from a light blue stone, the colossal monument bore the likeness of the first Samurai, the man who had expelled the demons from Mikado and brought everlasting peace to the realm. Peace that the Samurai were meant to maintain at the cost of their very lives. As Flynn looked up he could almost feel the stone eyes tracing his every movement although he knew that such a thing was impossible.

At the base of the statue stood the priests dressed in their cloaked garbs which obscured all but their face. The uniform was almost as synonymous as the tailored jacket that the Samurai donned upon their acceptance into the ranks. Blue and white, the darker shade indicating their status as authority, the white representing the peace they had been tasked to ensure. The life of the Samurai was entirely dedicated to their duty, even the clothes they wore had been designed to instil the ideals with which they were meant to strive for.

Perfection.

Issachar stood in front of him, the gauntlet strapped to his wrist as Flynn took his place behind him, waiting. It was only then that he realised Issacchars turn had long since passed and the boy was refusing to leave.

“Give the gauntlet back now boy, you’ve failed.” The Samurai next to him told him in a quiet yet firm voice, trying to ease the gauntlet off Issachar’s wrist.

“No!” Issachar shouted as he turned to the priests. “Just a few minutes more!  I beg you!” He pleaded as he got to his knees and grovelled at their feet.

“The Gauntlet Rite doesn’t revolve around time my friend.” One of the priests told him. “The mystic script appears from the moment you activate the gauntlet, if it does not then it means you aren’t chosen.”

“Hope!” The leader barked at the Samurai beside Issachar.

“Yes?” The man asked tersely as he glared back at the priest.

“If he doesn’t take off the Gauntlet in the next ten seconds cut off his arm.”

The Samurai stepped forward towards the priests, any and all signs of the previous compassion he’d possessed vanishing as his hand grabbed his sword. “Samurai do not harm civilians. Take that order back before I cut off your arm in his place.”

Fear flashed in the Priest’s eyes as he quailed under the man’s glare. “I have been given authority by Hugo, you will do as I say.” He stammered trying to maintain the façade that he was the one who was in control here.

The tension began to rise even further as the two men stared at each other one barely able to keep his anger in check.

“Take back the order.”

“Do your duty.”

_I need to step in before this gets worse._ Flynn thought but before he even moved forward Issachar muttered.

“Stop.”

The Priest turned to him. “How dare you order us, Casualry. Hope-” His words died in his throat as Issachar took off the gauntlet and with a deep sigh placed it back on the table.

“I’m not sorry for my actions, I regret the trouble I caused but I do not regret wishing to be a Samurai, it is something I will never stop wanting even if my chance has ended.”

With a bow Issachar turned to leave, offering Flynn a tight smile as he walked away wistfully, still entranced by the dream which he could never hope to achieve. 

As he walked away the priest managed to muster his confidence.

“We need to get back to the Rite, we will discuss your actions late Hope.”

“I look forward to it.” The Samurai said as his hand left his sword and he turned to Flynn. “Boy, come forward. We’ve lost enough time as it is.”

Flynn nodded as he strode forward, nerves attacked him, fear, trepidation all those things he’d chosen to avoid for the entire day coursed through him in the one instant that he stepped up to the priests. He glanced down at his hand, shocked to find that it was steady as the priest addressed him.

“Your name boy?”

“Flynn.”

“Are you aware of how the Gauntlet Rite works?”

A pause. “Yes.”

“Then raise your hand.”

He lifted his arm and the priest took hold of it. Another priest strode to the table and selected a gauntlet which they fitted him with and then stepped away. The equipment easily fitted over his arm, a perfect match in fact which surprised both him and the people in front of him. The head priest gazed down at him intrigued before looking at the other priests and nodding as they began their prayer.

“Oh Lord, if this man before you is worthy of the status of Samurai then bless him with your light and bestow upon him the magic script.”

Flynn looked at the gauntlet in front of him, the black screen on the front lighting up and one word appeared on the screen.

_Engage._

He stared at the word for an instant before he pressed his finger to the screen. Hope and the priests leaned in to see what would happen as Flynn continued to stare at the screen on the gauntlet before a burst of light blinded him and he found himself looking at a storm, clouds of black and white divided in the middle by a void.

_Which will you choose?_ A voice echoed through his mind before just as quickly as the image had arrived it abated, leaving him staring at the stunned priests and Samurai.

“The Gauntlet has chosen!” The priest declared. “Hope, show him to his quarters.”

The man nodded, for once not disobeying or questioning the priest in front of him. “This way, Samurai.”

He followed Hope and the plaza descended into chaos at the news.

“Someone was chosen!”

“A Casualry? Impossible.”

“Casualries can make it, oh thank the gods.”

He tilted his head down and followed Hope silently, the one time he did look out however he locked eyes with Issachar who stared at him, looking as if he’d been betrayed.

“ _I’m sorry.”_ He mouthed but all he could do was watch on as Issachar faded into the background, the last image he’d probably ever see of his friend one of pure devastation.

Hope looked at him, noting the immense guilt that had overtaken the boy, a far cry from those who were usually accepted but an emotion he knew all too well.

“We all leave people behind when we’re accepted by the gauntlet boy, if you had family, if you had friends, be prepared for the possibility that you may never see them again. That is the price we pay for the gift we’ve been given.”

Flynn nodded solemnly as they reached a room.

“This is your home. It shall be your room from this day forward until the day you die.” Hope said as he gestured to the room and opened the door.

“I suggest you rest early, as your training begins tomorrow morning. Any questions before I go back to the ceremony?”

He was surprised he was able to formulate any words in that moment but with a low. “No sir.” Hope closed the door behind and left Flynn alone to his thoughts. 

He turned around to his room, far too distracted to truly look upon it, with a sigh he fell onto the bed and thought about the life he’d left behind. No matter what he was still unable to shake the feeling of betrayal that coursed through him. Each time he closed his eyes he saw Issachar staring back at him. Eventually he succumbed to sleep, unable to help but wonder what would come next.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So this is my contribution to the SMT Archive, the first Chapter makes it seem like a novelisation but I’m intending to diverge a fair way from canon and the changes that trigger it will be coming fairly soon, anyways hope you enjoyed it.


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